Hello all,
We recently bought a 2008 Forest River Lexington 283. It's in excellent condition however there are some maintenance items to do and one of them is to examine and repair all verticle and horizontal seams and joints that have caulking that needs to be replaced.

I'm new to owning a motorhome so I would like to get recommendations on what caulking to use and what solvents are used to clean the seams and joints before applying the new caulk. Also, are there any tools and techniques used in removing the old caulk?

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First off, I would only remove the very loose sealant and not worry about trying to remove it all as it is not necessary for most cases. Cleaning with solvents is also not recommended or needed. Mild soap and water is usually sufficient. If you have a window leaking, it needs to be removed and reinstalled using a good butyl tape on the flange and then resealed. I use Dicor or Pro Flex on the roofs and Pro Flex on vertical surfaces.Good luck and keep us posted.

I have, in the past, used a good stiff brush to clean the area that needed to be sealed and wiped it down. I have used C10 in the past but could not find any this year so used Dicor self leveling lap sealant. Will see how it does compared with the C10. I agree in that you should not remove any of the old sealant that is still intact and not leaking. AS always be careful when working on top of our MH's.

Thank you for the information. A Camping World tech recently reported that roof is ok but will need replaced in couple years. So he got me thinking about the cualking in all of body seams and joints. And that got me looking closer and I have the clear caulking to have cracks and some has pulled away from the fiberglass body. The more I looked all over the body the more caulking issues I found. I'll take a picture of an example of the failing caulking.
I need to remove the old caulking and I was asking what tool is used so that I don't scrape or gouge the body fiberglass?
I will take your advice and use a mild soap to clean the area. I will search the Internet for the suggested caulking.

If it were me, I would use Eternabond tape instead of caulking. That is one tough tape and it lasts for at least 10 years if applied correctly. You don't have to remove any of the old caulking, just clean it well, dry and then cover the whole thing with the Eternabond making sure the tape laps about an inch over the old caulking. Roll it down firmly as you can and you are set. One caution: that tape is permanent and so you must be careful when laying it down because once down it is DOWN.

If it were me, I would use Eternabond tape instead of caulking. That is one tough tape and it lasts for at least 10 years if applied correctly. You don't have to remove any of the old caulking, just clean it well, dry and then cover the whole thing with the Eternabond making sure the tape laps about an inch over the old caulking. Roll it down firmly as you can and you are set. One caution: that tape is permanent and so you must be careful when laying it down because once down it is DOWN.

Yes what he said! Any time you use calking it will always be a maintenance item to deal with every year..

Ok, I will give the tape a try in an area that is not seen. I'm new to RVs and I thought members of this forum could offer solutions. Using tape instead of caulk I did not know about. So thank you for sharing your knowledge.
George

George, the Eternabond tape is only for the roof. Use it on seams, or to repair small tears, or to seal around fixtures/intrusions that go thru the roof. I recommend a roll of 4 inch wide tape, it is very useful on the roof.

I also am a newish owner of a 2008 MH, and have noticed some of the caulked seams on the sidewalls starting to age out, so I did a search and was led to this thread. So lets get some more answers specific to the sidewall seams from more experts, please

Hello all,
We recently bought a 2008 Forest River Lexington 283. It's in excellent condition however there are some maintenance items to do and one of them is to examine and repair all verticle and horizontal seams and joints that have caulking that needs to be replaced.

I'm new to owning a motorhome so I would like to get recommendations on what caulking to use and what solvents are used to clean the seams and joints before applying the new caulk. Also, are there any tools and techniques used in removing the old caulk?

Thank you for your help.

George and Susan Boyle
Burnsville, NC

Check out the RVGeeks Videos on Youtube. You can subscribe to them and learn a LOT!

Ok, I will give the tape a try in an area that is not seen. I'm new to RVs and I thought members of this forum could offer solutions. Using tape instead of caulk I did not know about. So thank you for sharing your knowledge.
George

I don't see that anyone answered your question yet. I too have the 'clear' type wall trim sealant/caulking and looking for the material used on your new unit. Dicor or tape will not work in these areas and will stick out like a sore thumb.

Not sure if I got the answers I was hoping for. There are verticle and horizontal body seams that the existing sealant has cracked. You know driving the mh puts a lot of stress on these areas. Some of the caulking needs to be removed so a new sealant can be applied.

I am going to try some sealants I got at RV Center. I will let you know how it works and what tool I used to remove the old caulking.

Do not use any sealants containing silicone! It does not adhere well over time, and once applied nothing else will stick to the residue it leaves behind. I recommend the Dicor sealants, both the self-leveling for horizontal surfaces and the thicker kind for vertical surfaces.
Eternabond is a trademarked brand of sealing tape for use on the roof. Their video library is very good for learning how to use the product.
To remove the old cracked sealant from laps and joints, I use a plastic putty knife, then remove remaining stuff with turpentine-dampened rag. The turpentine is not a petroleum product, thus will not harm EPDM material nor aged-painted surfaces. It will soften old sealant and clean the surface in preparation for applying new sealant.

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__________________2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA 1SG, retired;PPA,Good Sam Life member,FMCA."We the people are the rightful masters of both the Congress and the Courts - not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution. "Abraham Lincoln"